SINGAPORE – India’s solar power generation expanded at its slowest pace in six years during the first half of 2024, according to analysis of data from the federal grid regulator. The growth in solar electricity production was overshadowed by a stronger reliance on coal to meet escalating power demands.
Data from Grid-India revealed that electricity generated from coal increased by 10.4% in the six months ending June 30, surpassing the overall power generation growth rate of 9.7% for the same period. Solar power generation reached 63.6 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in the first half of 2024, marking a 14.7% rise compared to the previous year and an 18.5% increase from the entirety of 2023.
India, known as the world’s fastest growing major economy, has increasingly turned to coal to meet rising electricity needs, a shift that has seen coal-fired power output outpace renewable energy production for the first time since the Paris Agreement in 2015.
